Finding Home
by IDon'tPlay
Summary: Aethelwyne, Wyne for short, finds herself in her favorite anime. While receiving help from a mysterious person on the other side of her bag, she embarks on a journey to help keep the end from happening. T for bullying and violence.
1. Chapter 1

Bell ran after me, her long nails clicking on the tile cold tile of the kitchen. My bare feet struggled for a grip as I ran from the dog. I waved the slobber–soaked, white whale around from over the island, laughing as her head swiveled back and forth. She hopped up, grabbed the toy, and took off towards the front door. She dropped the toy and barked at the door. I walked up to her and she barked for me to let her out.

"Ok, Bell, I'll let you - " I cut myself off, as I opened the door and saw the rain pounding down from the angry-looking sky. "Now that's not right." I huffed and looked down at my large grey t-shirt and the short pj shorts covered in cute little frogs that were just a little short. Looking over at the dog, I shook my head and stepped out onto the porch, feeling the puddles of rainwater that had been blown there by the harsh wind. I ducked my head and ran out, Bell by my side. I hooked her to the rope tied around the basketball goal. I retreated back the dry porch as soon as my chilly, wet fingers fumbled the hook onto the loop of her leather collar.

As soon as she was done, I jumped from my haven and onto the wet grass and unhooked her, taking off toward the porch's offer of dry. Puck ran after me, her droopy jaws flying outward as she ran to the steps, clearing three of them and taking the last two quickly. I closed the door after us and grabbed a towel and dried her off, remembering to clean my feet of the wet grass and dirt still clinging to them. I smiled as she struggled to get her other toy from off the kitchen island. She finally got it and tore through the living room and up the stairs. I could hear her nails tearing into the carpet as she raced around.

I rubbed Bell's head when she ran down the stairs and followed me back into the living room to lay down by the couch. I closed my eyes, leaning into the large, tan La-Z-Boy, feeling sleep infiltrate my mind and cloud my thoughts. A yawn forced itself from my mouth.

"I'll just take a nap real quick." My eyes drifted closed and just before I fell into sleep, I felt a sharp pain in my temples and a quick, acute beep. I grunted, but didn't feel like getting up to see what had happened, and since I was fine, I just let myself sleep.

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A banging in my head and a lump under my back woke me up. Groaning, I pulled my eyes open and rubbed the sleep out of them. Sitting up, I looked around, not fully taking in my surroundings until something dropped from my hand onto hard-packed earth. My eyes tracked a marble, clear in color and reflecting the light from somewhere. I reached over and picked it up, my hand cradling it in the palm. The light looked natural, like the noonday sun. I looked up, searching for a source. The sun beat down on me from above.

"Holy mother of cheese!" I breathed. I wasn't home, or anywhere else I knew for that matter. The world was bright and I was surrounded with trees. I was laying In the middle of a wide, traveled-looking dirt road that wound through the large trees. I groaned, looking down at my clothes. I was still in my shorts, but instead of my t-shirt, I wore a tight fitting tank top that covered the top of the shorts. On top of that was a light blue haori with white triangle things at the end of the sleeves. I shifted, remembering the lump under my back. Reaching around, I pulled a bag up from the ground. It was a purple-blue, drawstring bag. I tugged it open and reached my hand inside. It seemed to go on forever like Mary Poppins' bag.

"Man," I said. "I really wish I knew what was going on right now. I want my music." I groaned. My hand finally grasped something that felt like my iPod. I pulled it out and my favorite pair of headphones tugged out behind it. I grinned, then stopped. How the heck did that happen? The bag felt empty . . . Anyway, I put one in my ear and turned the device on. I flipped to 'Whiskey Lullaby' by Brad Paisley. I sang along with it while I looked around. Getting to my feet, I brushed the dirt from my knees. I studied my surroundings, trying to figure out which direction to go in. I opened the bag again, hoping to find a map or something that would show me where to go. While I was doing that, the next song came on: 'If I die Young' by The Band Perry. My hand brushed something so I pulled it from the bag. It wasn't a map. It was a balled up piece of paper. I tugged the paper to its former shape and read the words written on it. It said: "Find the Roshigumi and, uh, put some pants on."

"What the HECK?!"

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I looked down at the blue jean shorts I found in the magic bag. They fit like a glove. I was worried though. Who had given me the bag and left me the note. And why? Also, where didi I know the Roshigumi from? I had heard the name before, but I couldn't remember where. I did know the name was Japanese, though.

"That's where the haori comes from!" It all made sense now: the Roshigumi were the early form of the Shinsengumi and I was wearing one of their shirts . . . That could mean only one thing. Holy crap! I was in Hakuouki! It was my favourite anime ever, but how did I get here?

"Whatever!" Who cares? I was in my favorite anime with a magic bag that gave me anything I wanted! I jumped up and down and spun around with my arms in the air till I was dizzy. After I steadied myself and calmed down, I started walking in the direction of the setting sun, hoping I would find them before the good stuff happened. I was still walking when the sun fell behind the horizon, but in the distance, once the tree line had fallen far behind me, I could see the outline of a village. The more I walked, the more I worried about how I was going to defend myself. I was very good at archery and fencing due to a camp I went to every summer, but that did me no good if I didn't have a weapon. Also, my stomach was starting to growl and it looked as if I still had a good hour's walk ahead of me. I groaned, wishing I had woken up some place closer to civilization. An eerie noise came from the darkness around me and I picked up my dragging feet. A high screech from some creature filled the darkness and I was gone. My feet pounded fast against the dry earth and my breathing came quick. As the village came closer, my heart rate slowed until I heard another noise. Then, I was at it again. I made it to the outskirts of the village, my bare feet, sore and dirty and my breathing labored. I grunted and slowed to a walk, huffing and trying to fill my empty lungs. I stumbled, but caught myself before I fell. Everything was dark, and I could barely see a thing. I squinted, trying to make out shapes when I remembered I had a magic bag. I pulled out a flashlight and the iPod I had stashed back in there while I was walking.

I flipped the flashlight on and swept it around, getting a general idea of where I was. I shoved it back in the bag as soon as I heard some people coming.

"Crap!" I muttered under my breath, and ducked to the side, taking cover in an alley. A group of about four or five people passed by holding lanterns that shed light dangerously close to me. I prayed quietly under my breath until they were gone. They were dressed in the same haori as I was. Okay, so I was in the right place and obviously Serizawa had gotten the matching shirts. I took stock of myself in my head. I decided quickly that I needed to eat and sleep. Reaching into the bag, I thought 'food' and felt it gain weight. I pulled out a couple Twinkies and a dozen donuts from Krispy Kreme. I grinned, sitting down, I opened the donut box. I quickly finished those off and started in on the Twinkies. They soon joined their predecessors in my belly. I leaned back against the building and moaned at the feeling of contentment in my stomach. I sat like that for a few more seconds before shoving the trash into the bag and standing. There was no way I could just stay on the streets and I didn't know the policy for curfew if there even was one. I looked down at my toes, the dark purple nail polish making my toes look super short in the darkness. I wiggled them, wishing it wasn't so humid out. My long dirty-blond hair made the back of my neck feel about 200 degrees. I pulled it up, the hairband that was still wrapped around my wrist helping me mold my hair into a sloppy bun at the top of my head. Poking my head out from my hiding place, I made sure the men were gone before slipping out, bag over my shoulder and a full stomach. The only thoughts in my head were f a place to sleep. My mind went over the possibilities and I crossed each off one by one. I decided to find a secluded spot and rest as much as I could for the night.

My feet dragged the ground and I smiled when I saw another side street dead ended. I forced myself into the corner, pulling a light blanket from the bag, I wrapped myself in it and placed the bag under my head. I wondered just as I fell asleep if I could pull out the cloak of invisibility. My eyes slipped closed and I drifted off in the blackness.

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The sun woke me again and sleep left me feeling refreshed. I stretched slowly, like a cat, and gathered my things, shoving the blanket back from where it came. I strolled lazily from my hiding spot, remembering it for the future. Around me were many shops and places set up along the road. They were filled with people attending to business or, as far as I could see, just shopping. All around me I heard whispers around me and people moved out of the way as I passed. I received many strange stares and shocked glances.

"What's she doing out of the red light district?" I froze, my face going cold and anger burning in my blood. Another answered back.

"And wearing that haori!" My face turned red and I bolted, pushing past everyone in my way. The voices surrounded me, and I walked faster. I tucked my head to my chest and ignored them the best I could. I ducked into a corner and shoved the thing into the bag, but it wouldn't take it like the other things. I reached in and tried to pull out another shirt but, it refused to give me anything. I cursed under my breath and walked back onto the street, looking for someone wearing the same haori that I had been.

"So you're the girl that stole one of our shirts. I'll have to ask for that back, you're giving us a bad name walking around like that." I looked up and nearly fell over. Standing right there was Heisuke. All of my feelings at the moment were expressed in two, very special words.

"Holy Pancakes!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, so this is the edit for chapter two! I don't own anything except for my oc and the storyline. That's how it is! Unfortunately:(**

**Chapter 1 Recap:**

"So you're the girl that stole one of our shirts. I'll have to ask for that back, you're giving us a bad name walking around like that." I looked up and nearly fell over. Standing right there was Heisuke. All of my feelings at the moment were expressed in two, very special words.

"Holy Pancakes!"

**Chapter 2**

Heisuke reached out to steady me as I swayed, my eyes wide and excited. I decided I would play it cool.

"Yo." Okita walked up behind him and I nearly fell over. His eyes ran me up and down and I tried to stand still.

"Hola," I said, smiling.

"Who are you and who did you sleep with that forgot their haori?" I nearly fell over at the words he just said. Why that son of a -

"I'll have you know that I'm not like that ya jerk! And I found the thing. I was going to return it, I just had it on 'cause I figured it would help me find you guys if you saw it." I stuck my tongue out at them, sorely wanting to flip them the bird.

"Ahh!" Heisuke said, uncomfortably as Okita smiled at me in that secret glare thing that he does and I just plain out glared at him.

"Anyway, take the darn thing, I don't want it anyway, it's way too big and it smells like a guy who hasn't bathed in a week after staying in Texas in the middle of summer." I shoved the thing into Heisuke's arms and after one last glare, I spun on my heel and flipped them the bird. Oh yeah, that felt good.

I walked until I disappeared into the crowd, giddy and empowered-feeling. I had found them, though there were some minor mishaps. I slipped into a small, empty sidestreet, grinned and reached my hand back into the bag, hoping it gave me my next hint at what I was supposed to be doing. I pulled a second piece of crumpled up paper triumphantly from the bag. Sliding to the ground, my back against the side of a building, I spread the paper out in front of me and read:

"Sorry, had to get them to notice you somehow! Anyway, make nice, you are going to be living with them soon. XOXO :)"

While the first note had sounded male, this one was definitely a woman's doing. I groaned and crumpled the paper back up and got up, walking back into the flow of traffic. Why the heck did weird things always happen to me? There was this one time in second grade, I found a diary from the second world war and it was written by a woman with the same name as me. Well, I guess it isn't that weird now that I think about it. Anyway, I needed to find me a place to stay for the night, cause that alley was not comfy at all. I also needed a shower, a bath, or something. Really, I missed having a friend to talk to and I wasn't the diary kind of person, though if this kept on, I was going to have to make one or do something. Maybe I would become a cat lady or something. I stopped walking.

"That just got really weird." I said to myself, shaking my head. But really, to get a place to stay, money would be a requirement, and the bag was on strike or something. It was refusing to give me anything that I needed, but it could pop out Krispy Kreme like no tomorrow. At this rate, I was screwed. I looked over and saw a guy sitting against a building. He reminded me of a begger and that reminded me of those guys who play guitar for money on the side of the street and that reminded me I could play guitar.

"That's how I'll make money!" I shouted, then ran off, ignoring the weird looks I was getting. I ran around the back of a house or whatever and reached into my bag. When I pulled my hand back out, it was wrapped around the neck of my favourite guitar. The glossy wood of the thing was smooth and I ran my hand down it in happiness.

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I sat on the side of the street and strummed the guitar, I had played love songs, happy songs, drinking songs . . . Anything I could remember. I had even gotten into some rock and pop. At this point I was on the last Matchbox 20 song I knew. The sun was starting to set and I was hungry, tired, and my fingers were aching from pressing the strings. I let my head droop onto my arm, resting against the top of the guitar. A butterfly landed on the tip of my finger. A breeze blew it into the air and I watched it fly away into the sunset red sky. There was a loud huff beside me and I slid my eyes toward the sound.

A little boy sat beside me, his hand petting a small puppy.

"Hey kid, what's his name?" I asked. He looked over at me, surprised about something.

"He doesn't have one, I haven't named him yet." I smiled at him. The puppy licked my hand happily.

"What about," I looked at the puppy's big brown eyes. "Aito." He looked up at me, eyes bright.

"Yea! Thank you pretty lady!" I smiled at him.

"How 'bout this: I'll sing you a song for free if you keep me company for a moment." The boy seemed to consider the offer, one hand on the dg and the other on his chin.

"Okay, but I gotta get home soon, so Mama don't worry." I nodded and thought about the song I should sing. I knew just the song. I sang him 'Seven Spanish Angels' (Guys, Youtube the Willie Nelson, Ray Charles Version, you will love it.) He had closed his eyes and the puppy laid across his feet. When I finished the song, he slid his eyes back open and smiled really big. I smiled back at him, and told him I would walk him home. I slung the guitar over my shoulder along with the bag, walking alongside the boy until we stopped at his home. He waved as he walked inside and I waved back. Once he was inside safely, I walked away, eyes drooping and feet dragging. He was a cute kid, and he had soothed the loneliness I had for a moment.

I was walking along the quiet, moonlight road when a group of drunken men passed me. One of the more sober ones noticed me and made a grab for me, but I jumped from his reach. This started up the riot. Thankfully, I had put the guitar safely back into the bag, so it wasn't weighing me down. As the drunks, who had surprisingly good speed for as bad off they had looked before, got closer, I turned a corner, considering crying rape, but figured it would be useless if no one answered, or worse, it alerted the drunks to where she was. I made a right turn that put me into a dead end. I spun around, trying to find another way out before they reached me, but I was stuck. I could only watch as the men, covered in the stench of alcohol and sweat, grew closer.

As they were about to reach me, a figure appeared behind them, and, with the blunt side of his sword, proceeded to incapacitate the men. I drew back into the thick shadows, not sure if the man was friend or foe.

"I will not hurt you." A soft voice said. I took in the man's appearance. He was relatively tall, and wore glasses. Shoulder-length black hair and a soft smile. He appeared to be kind, putting his sword away before taking a slow step towards me. It was Sannan-san. I stepped out of the shadow, positive he would not hurt me. He was not yet a rasetsu, the letter having said Roshigumi instead of Shinsengumi.

"I know." I rolled my shoulders, then cracked my neck, "but that doesn't mean he won't." I said, kicking the guy closest to me that had groaned, as if waking up.

"Why are you out this late around this part of town?" He asked. I looked at him questioningly.

"What part of town? And I was just looking for a place to stay. I've been traveling for a long time and am very tired. I've been out on the road for a while." I drooped my head a little. Then I got an Idea. "Hey! Can I stay with you? I can play and sing and I don't need any food, just a place to rest safely!" I looked up at him with my best puppy dog eyes. He looked like he was going to refuse when a head poked around the corner. Okita's emerald eyes looked me over.

"Ahh," he mocked. "you're the woman who had the haori. You trying to sleep with Sannan-san." I 'bout lit on fire.

"I'm going to set your ass on fire and watch you burn. You son of a chicken tail!" I yelled at him. I stomped toward him and looked him in the eye. He got a high and mighty look in his eyes. He made me so angry. His hand snaked up and grabbed my chin. I didn't move, my eyes still defiant. He thought he could play me like that. No way sucker. He brought his face closer, a dangerous glint in those lovely green eyes. I snarled at him, trying not to let it show that he had me shaken. He grinned, a truly terrifying thing to behold, and let me go. Spinning around, he walked away, but not before throwing this over his shoulder.

"Let her stay with us, Sannan-san. We do need a maid."I stood there and gawked. How the heck do I not feel satisfied that my plan to get in had worked? Sannan sighed and walked up to me, giving me a tired smile, he nodded to walk with him. Once we got to the other men, Okita in the lead, we started to walk in the direction of the base, I assumed. The night breeze was cool and refreshing so I turned my face skyward, drawing imaginary constellations in the stars.


	3. Chapter 3

**I Own Nothing. If I did, no one would die and they would live long and happy lives with their sexy selves, but whatever.  
**

* * *

**Chapter 2 recap:**

"_It is something used for women on that time of month." Sammy answered while I held back laughter._

"_Ah! I am sorry! Toshi! Give the bag back to the women." Kondo tried to fight back a blush as they rushed to give the bag back, the other guys laughing with me. _

**Chapter 3 ****(Heehee! Chapter 3!)**

We, being Sammy and I, were escorted to their base. The whole way there I had this nagging feeling that I needed to do something( you know, other than pee) that was really important. Once we got there, we were thrown into a room facing the middle of the compound. I sat on the floor, grumbling at the unfairness of the treatment. The more I thought about it though, the better off I was than when I started. At least I had come to the right town when I started walking and now I had a place to stay and food to eat. My stomach grumbled pitifully. I looked up dejectedly at the sleeping form of Sammy, then down at the bag.

"I wonder if it'll give me more food . . ." Shoving my hand in, I thought "Food". The bag gained six pounds. I grasped what felt like plastic in my hand and yanked. Out came a couple cinnamon buns and a bag of pancakes. I grinned, quite proud of my magic bag, and delighted it had such good taste in food. I finished off the cinnamon buns quickly, shoving the wrappers back in the bag, and was almost done with the pancakes when the door was slid open. My hand stopped halfway to my mouth as my eyes snapped to the intruder. I reached my foot out, about to kick Sammy awake, but a voice made me stop.

"I would like to speak with you alone."

In the doorway stood Sannan-san, soft smile on his face, directed at me. I grimaced, nodded, and grabbed my bag with my free hand. I stood quietly, my still-bare-feet barely making a sound as I followed him out, sliding the door shut carefully behind us. He led me toward the other half of the courtyard on the other side of the rooms. It housed a small garden with a pond, and as we got closer, I started to wonder what he wanted to talk about. I took a bite of pancake, chewing it a while before swallowing. My eyes slanted in his direction. He, like the rest of them, towered over me, making me have to look up to see his face. I started on another bite of pancake, noticing him eyeing the food in my hand. I put my hand out to him.

"You want some? They're the good kind with the syrup in the batter." I offered. A smile lit his face. It was fake. I pulled my hand back, thinking he didn't want any.

"I would like to try one." I looked back up at him, then ripped a pancake in half and handed it to him. I watched as he pulled off a piece and placed it in his mouth before I realized I was staring and looked away.

"It is . . . different."

"Yea," I said. "I guess this kind isn't as good as the homemade kind, but hey. Who needs American made when you can buy something from China?" I said bitterly. A sword was at my neck.

"So you are a spy." His eyes had taken on a deadly light. My brain stuttered a little. I never really paid attention to the historical side of the story.

"Dude, no, I am an American who was kidnapped traveling the Silk Road on my way to see my jerkwad of a father, who, by the way, is also a cheater!" I huffed angrily, hoping I remembered the lie correctly. "I have a right to be angry with the darn Chinese. They kidnapped me and sold me and my sister into slavery, or tried to. I mean jeez. For real, who does that?" The sword dropped. A _Ziiiing! _As it was sheathed. A huff of breath.

"My deepest apologies Wyne-san, but what is a 'Jerkwad '?" He looked at me sideways as we started to walk again.

"That's easy: It is someone who is being a big jerk." I nodded my head, taking another bite of pancake. I savored it, fully realizing I would have to be more careful with my things. I closed my eyes, following the sound of his footsteps as we walked. I could feel a low pounding starting at the base of my head. The lyrics to one of my songs fill my head.

"Summer has come and past, the innocent can never last, wake me up when September ends." I hummed the tune wistfully, no longer paying attention to where I was going or if I was even walking. I wished everything was like it was before. Before my mom died and the witch that made me call her mom took over.

"Here comes the rain again, falling from the stars. Drenched in my pain again, becoming who we are. As my memory rests, but never forgets what I lost. Wake me up when September ends." A tear dripped down my cheek, then another and another. My lips formed the words as I remembered my screams as the cigarette burnt my skin and that woman laughed maliciously. Her voice was smooth as honey.

"Doesn't it hurt? That's how bad you hurt me when you disrespect me." The tears were falling steadily. Daddy didn't know and I wasn't going to tell him. She was the only thing that could make him smile these days. She was beautiful. She didn't look like the kind of person who could be like that. I had liked her at first, but she didn't like me.

"-ne!

"Wyne-san!"

"Wyne-chan!"

My eyes flashed open. My body trembled, my knees giving out. I hit the hard wood of the walkways. My arms stayed by my sides, not moving and my eyes stayed open. I heard the concerned voices, but their words were not clear. A hand reached for me and I shied away. I jumped to my feet and ran, pushing the surprised men. A set of strong arms wrapped around my middle. I flailed around, trying to escape the constraints.

"She's going to hurt me! You've got to let me go! Please! You can't let her get me!" I cried. They didn't understand. I had to get away now, before she came, before she-

"Wyne-chan, calm down. You're safe." My limbs slowly stopped their movements and my head bowed. I felt the tears leak from between my pressed-closed eyes.

"She's gonna kill me this time! I left. Daddy doesn't know. He doesn't know! I have to get away!" I thrashed madly. They were going to let her catch me and I would die, or worse. Live. My eyes flashed around frantically, trying to find a way out. My mind narrowed to one thing and one single thought: Escape. Escape and survive. A set of hands tilted my face up to look at an out of focus face. I tried to pull free, but the grip was strong.

"Dore dore?" I finally focused on the face in front of me. It was Okita.

"Huh?"

"What do we have here?" The look he gave me was condescending and full of contempt. "A woman-child who can't handle herself. How shameful to your family." I hung my head, the tears trailing down my cheeks. "What? Can't speak?" He kept speaking quiet insults that filled me.

"Shut up." I whispered.

"Oh, so you can speak."

* * *

SORRY! *tears up* Was gonna make the chapters shorter and then I got an IDEA. So here it is. Don't kill me please:)


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 3 Recap:**

"_What do we have here?" The look he gave me was condescending and full of contempt. "A woman-child who can't handle herself. How shameful to your family." I hung my head, the tears trailing down my cheeks. "What? Can't speak?" He kept speaking quiet insults that filled me. _

_ "Shut up." I whispered._

_ "Oh, so you can speak."_

**Chapter 4**

"Shut up."

"And why should I do that?" I opened my eyes and glared at him. A sarcastic smirk lifted the corner of his mouth. I suddenly wanted to wipe that damned smirk off his face.

"I hate you."

"What was that? I didn't quite catch that." He mocked. My eyes met his fiercely. Before I knew what I had done, I spat. He drew back, his eyes full of angry fire.

"I said: 'I hate you.'"

"Crushing," His voice was a harsh, cruel whisper. I was yanked from the arms of my detainers by the neck of my shirt.

**Okita pov**

She infuriated me. This . . . This woman-child who was too wrapped up in her own fear to see everyone that was worried for her. I really ought to just kill her and get it over with.

"I hate you." She said, her words were full of spite and anger, though they were only a harsh whisper.

"What was that? I didn't quite catch that." I mocked her, my anger simmering just below the surface. She whipped her eyes up to mine, glaring fiercely, and spit at me. I leaned back, anger lighting me up like a torch. She smirked up at me from her position.

"I said: 'I hate you.'"

"Crushing," I yanked her up harshly from Harada's arms by the collar of her shirt. There were murmurs of caution from around me. I shook her and she let out a choked cry.

"Asshole."

"Bitch." I dropped her. She still wanted a fight, but more than that, she wanted to get away from this place. So I would let her. "If you can beat me in a fight, you can leave." She looked up at me unbelieving. I let mirth fill my eyes and I put on a falsely friendly smile. She just stared at me.

"Souji! You cannot let her go like that!" Heisuke and Shinpachi were yelling at the unfairness while the rest just watched with unhappy looks on their faces.

"Challenge accepted!" She chirped unexpectedly. We all looked down at her surprised, though some of us hid it better than the others. "What? I will beat his ass then me and Sammy will be home free, right?" I smirked at her.

"If you lose, I get to kill you."

**Wyne pov**

"If you lose, I get to kill you." Well damn, there goes the idea of running like hell once the fight started and waiting him out. I grumbled about stupid people with stupid swords.

"Hey, Sano! Seems she doesn't like guys with swords, what about spears?" I nearly turned into a tomato.

"What the Cheeze its! Don't go around saying things like that!" I jumped up and aimed a punch for his head. He stopped my hand a few inches from his nose. Oh, how nice it would have been to break that pretty little nose of his.

"Not yet Wyne – chan, wait till the fight." He admonished. I really wanted to break his pretty little nose. He dropped my fist and I turned, walking right into Sano's chest. I also wished that the ground would swallow me up, and do it quick. Maybe I could crawl into the bag and disappear. He helped me up and as soon as I was on my feet, I was making a beeline for my room.

Once in the quiet of my room, I just sat, noticing the quiet snoring of Sammy had started up again. I reached idly into my bag and searched my iPod. The familiar weight filled my hand and I pushed the ear buds into my ears and turned up the song. It was Oath by Cher Lloyd.

Yo, my best friend, best friend 'til the very end  
Cause best friends, best friends don't have to pretend  
You need a hand, and I'm right there right beside you  
You in the dark, I'll be the bright light to guide you  
'Member the time, time, times sneaking out the house  
All of the time, time, times that you had your doubts  
And don't forget all the trouble we got into  
We got something you can't undo, do

Laughing so damn hard  
Crashed your dad's new car  
All the scars we share  
I promise, I swear

Wherever you go, just always remember  
That you got a home for now and forever  
And if you get low, just call me whenever  
This is my oath to you  
Wherever you go, just always remember  
You're never alone, we're birds of a feather  
And we'll never change, no matter the weather  
This is my oath to you

I know I drive you crazy, hmm, sometimes  
I know I call you lazy, and that's most times  
But you complete me, and that's no lie  
You are my tuxedo, and I'm your bow tie  
We in the car, sing, sing, singing our song  
Rocking the building, tear it down, like we king kong  
And in my eyes, you can do, do no wrong  
You got a best friend sing, sing along

Laughing so damn hard  
Crashed your dad's new car  
All the scars we share

I promise, I swear

Wherever you go, just always remember  
That you got a home for now and forever  
And if you get low, just call me whenever  
This is my oath to you  
Wherever you go, just always remember  
You're never alone, we're birds of a feather  
And we'll never change, no matter the weather  
This is my oath to you

Oh ohh, I'll never let you go  
Oh ohh, whoa, this is my oath to you  
Oh ohh, just thought that you should know  
Oh ohh, whoa, this is my oath to you

Yeah...

Wherever you go, just always remember  
That you got a home for now and forever  
And if you get low, just call me whenever  
This is my oath to you  
Wherever you go, just always remember  
You're never alone, we're birds of a feather  
And we'll never change, no matter the weather  
This is my oath to you

Oh ohh  
You should know, you should know, you should know, you should know, yeah  
Oh ohh, whoa, this is my oath to you  
Oh ohh  
Wherever you go, just always remember  
You're never alone, we're birds of a feather  
And we'll never change, no matter the weather  
Oh ohh, this is my oath to you

Sammy sat up and had stolen my other ear bud halfway through the song. By the end, we were up and dancing, yelling the song at the top our lungs in badly off key voices. I noticed a flash of red at the window. I nudged Sam and nodded toward the window. We grinned slyly at each other. I changed the song to Hot n' Cold by Katy Perry. We hooked up the iPod to the speaker I pulled from the bag and turned it up. We danced around crazily and sang loudly, yelling the worst parts. I heard some gasps and a few thumps from outside as we pretended to grind against each other. The song was over and I shoved the electronics back into the bag before they all came storming into the room. Me and Sammy looked up at them innocently, pretending not to notice the slight blood around Shinpachi's nose and the bump forming on the side of Heisuke's head.

"Are you guys ok?" Sammy asked, sounding concerned.

"Yea! What happened?" I stood up, mirroring Sam's voice. I grabbed a rag out of the bag and went to work wiping away the blood from his nose. He looked like he was about to pass out. Okita's eyes never strayed from me as I did so. They had taken on a predatory gleam, calculating. They almost made me shiver. I finished with that and sat back down with Sammy, pretending to listen while we were scolded for acting so indecently. Geez, if they think that's bad, they should go to a school dance. For real! They got 12 year olds doing worse than that. I nodded my head and apologized along with Sammy, our heads bowed in mock penance for our crime.

"Ahh, I have a question," I spoke, as they were turning to leave.

"What would that be?"

"When's the fight?" Sammy gave me an incredulous look.

"We been here less than a week and you're already picking a fight?! Didn't getting sent to boot camp help any?!"

"Well you see . . ."

"What is boot camp?" One of our audience members asked. Sammy stood up to explain. While she did that, I took in the appearance of the characters. Top choices were torn between Okita, Sano, and Heisuke. I will say, the older two do look pretty damn good though. I grinned to myself before I noticed everyone was giving me strange looks.

"What?"

"We asked you if you were ready for the fight."

"Oh, that? Yep, just waiting on lazy bones over there." I said grinning at Okita.

"Buuuurrrrrrrrnnnnnn!" Sammy cried.

"Need some ice for that?" I hollered.

They all looked at us confused. I looked over at Sam.

"That wasn't a very good burn. We should try harder."

"Yea, next time make it sting!" She agreed.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% %%%

"GO!" I froze, the fight was starting and all he was doing was watching me with that condescending smirk on his face. I watched him warily, before taking a step to my right, then my left, and then back, seeing his reaction to the movement. He seemed to be waiting on something. I tightened my grip on the sword in my hand, wishing it was the baseball bat I normally fought with. I shifted the way I held it, holding it like I did my normal weapon. I took a step forward and watched in morbid fascination as my opponent charged me. Well, here goes plan B. And with plan B I mean Plan Run Like Hell. And that I did, I took off through the wimpy crowd and past into the building, flying through the rooms and out to the maze that was the front gate. I bolted past the guards and nearly made it past the without being caught. A hand grabbed my shoulder and yanked me back from my dead run. I lashed out with the wooden sword but it didn't connect. I swung a second time. The sword managed to make contact and I was released. I hopped up and ran to the edge, where Sammy had been waiting on me with our things (the bag and a water gun she must have found in it). As I swung around into the street, we ran madly, making sure to take side roads and the less crowded roads. We ducked behind a building, laughing so hard and trying to muffle it but failing as soon as we looked at each other again.

I stood up and pretended to fight an imaginary foe, miming my inevitable loss with as many facial expressions as I could. We were both too busy laughing to notice the blue-headed boy named Ryunosuke walk up to us.

"Hey!" We both nearly fell over at the sudden noise.

"What do you want, Blue's Clues?" Sammy teased, even though he had no idea what she was talking about.

"You are the girls that ran from Okita!"

"The one and only," I said grinning up at him. I patted the ground beside me, not feeling threatened by the boy. I really liked him from the show. He hesitated before letting out a breath and sitting.

"You know, I would have run, too." His voice was quiet, almost as if he didn't want me to hear the words directed at me.

"Ahh, well, I've never even picked up a sword. I've only ever been in gang fights and school fights. You know, throw a punch, hit a guy with a baseball bat. That kind of thing." I looked down at my hands. Thinking about the good days, before the stepmonster. The good thing was that I rode a lot more now, at least I did when I was at home. The saddle did always calm me. I –

"What is a baseball bat?" I looked back up at him.

"It's about this long," I showed him with my arms. "And you hold it like this. And – wait a minute, I can just show you one!" I reached into the bag and pulled out a baseball bat, my favorite one that I even decorated. "Here! See? This is what I'm talking about." I handed it over to him, watching him run his hands along the time polished wood. Around the handle, I had tied a couple of ribbons and into the wood, I had etched quotes, Bible verses, and other things that I found of importance. As I watched him look it over, I noticed a few names carved into the side. I snatched it back from him.

"Give me that for a second!" He stuttered a reply, but I wasn't paying attention. There were eight names carved there: the names of the Shinsengumi. I stared as more words etched themselves into my bat.

"_Lead, Trust, Listen, Learn, Follow, Heal, Kill, Remember Who You Are, Give Them All You've Got" _

I didn't have time to ponder on the words though, because when I looked up to show them to Sammy, she was nowhere in sight. I stood up quick, the bag already over my shoulder and the bat gripped tightly in my right hand. In fact, no one was there It was too quiet and the blue haired boy had disappeared, too. It was dark out, or getting that way. The sun was setting bloodily over the rooftops and turning the little river that ran through here crimson. Before venturing out into the street alone, though, to go look for them, I needed a disguise. I reached back and pulled a cloak from the bag. A small piece of paper fell from the cloak.

"_Leave your friend be. She was not meant to be here therefore she was taken back. However, you cannot leave just yet."_

Well darn. I shoved the paper back in and decided to believe it. I was glad Sammy was ok too, but that didn't explain about the boy. For now though, I just strapped the cloak on over everything, not wanting to leave anything recognizable in the open. I tied my blond hair up into a high ponytail that hung down past my butt and tucked it into the cloak. Looking down at it, I noticed it looked a little like the Akatsuki one from Naruto. With everything in place, I walked out into the darkening street. It was lit up by red paper lanterns hanging from the shops that served food. I saw a large crowd going I and out of an area of town that I noticed earlier that day. The majority of them looked slightly shady, but I noticed a flash of long brown hair through the crowd, so that forced my feet into motion. Maybe I could make friends with them without them trying to kill me if I started from youngest to oldest. I kept my distance until I was sure he was alone. I slipped through the crowd, trying to get as close as I could.

"Heisuke," I stage whispered, not wanting to be loud, even though the crowd around us was way louder than I was being. He turned and looked over his shoulder, looking for who called him. I called his name slightly louder this time. He fully stopped and looked dead at me.

"You're the girl from back at base! We were sent to look for you!" He pushed towards me and I debated running again.

"Yea, about that, I have a little situation I need to talk to you about." I tried to make my voice a weak as I could without sounding cheesy. He was standing in front of me, but made no move to grab me.

"What's wrong?" He seemed skeptical.

"I have a very bad disease and my sister has gone missing. I overdid it today and now I don't have the strength to look for her. The traders are bound to be looking for us, but we can't do anything like this." I gave a rough cough, perfected by many years of faking illness to get out of various functions. I pretended to sway lightly and I let my eyelids droop slightly. "It took all I had to find you, so please help. She's the only one who loves me now – " I let my body fall forward onto his. Arms wrapped around me and I noticed that even he was taller than me by at least two inches. I closed my eyes and faked sleep, but fell into it anyway. Damn my ability to go to sleep anywhere.


	5. Chapter 5

I know guys! I'm such a tease! I was rereading the chapters I have written and the chapters I have posted and I am going to edit them. They just need some help, the poor things. Anyway, I am writing another story that I am going to post in this series. They will not touch though, and will not have anything, other than some key points, to do with each other.

~IDon'tPlay~

:)(::)(:


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